First Baptist Church of Titusville
Youth Room Project
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BEFORE RENOVATIONS:
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In March of 2006, Titusville, First Baptist Church requested funds from the Release God’s Power Fund to be used to reestablish a viable youth outreach within the church. In early July of 2006, RGP Fund Committee awarded the church $2000.00 for the project. Additional funding for the project came from the local community and from donations from within the congregation. During the first year of the project (July 15, 2006 – July 15, 2007) funding sources included the following:
Release God’s Power Fund $ 2,000.00
Church Contributions (project) $ 999.75
Church Contributions (personnel) $ 2,055.33
Church Contributions (program) $ 553.84
Youth Fund Raisers: (project) $ 323.75
Total Project Funds: $ 5,287.83
Donations of materials and labor (estimated value) $ 3,500.00
Working in partnership with Boy Scout Troop 412 and Eagle Scout candidate Nicholas Borger, the project plan called for using available resources, including skilled volunteer labor, donated materials, and congregational support to renovate an unused basement area in the church into a modern “Youth Room.” The area was then to act as the hub for the church’s own youth program and be made available to other youth-based programs within the wider community such as Cub Scouts, Brownies, and Boy Scouts.
The “Youth Room Project” got underway as scheduled, but soon ran into some unforeseen problems which delayed its completion for almost a year. These problems were centered on moisture and drainage problems in the basement area that was being used for the project. The moisture caused the growth of mold and mildew on the walls and floor, buckled the wall paneling on the exterior walls, and caused some of the ceiling tiles to collapse, all of which needed to be repaired before the renovations could continue.
To prevent future moisture problems, the shrubbery and trees next to the church were removed, the perimeter of the church was re-graded to turn away ground water, spouting and down spout problems were corrected, and additional dehumidification was added to the basement area. The remodeling plans for the room were also adjusted and commercial tile was chosen as a floor covering in lieu of carpet in an attempt to remove any future mold sources from the room. The walls were sealed with a commercial sealant to prevent mold formation. The waterline leak, which allowed additional moisture to enter the area, was also corrected. The cost of these additional repairs to the church building amounted to more that the initial estimates for the entire project. The funding for the repairs came from the church’s Maintenance Fund and congregational giving.
In addition to the renovation costs of the project, funding was also secured to support the newly-created Youth Director position within the church and to cover the costs of refreshments, program materials and quarterly youth outings that were designed into the youth program. Most of this funding was made available through a newly established “Growth Budget” adopted by the church in 2005 which was funded through the church’s non-designated investments.
The newly-formed youth group grew quickly as Youth Director, Leah Luben, began organized activities each week in the church basement. The youth held several fund raisers during the course of the renovation project including a spaghetti dinner and a church-wide “Stuff Sale.” Half of the money that was raised through these projects was given to local missions and the other half was used for the Youth Room project itself. The youth continue to plan and coordinate additional community-wide fundraisers to help support the ongoing youth program and the church’s local mission outreach.
Once the Youth Room Project got underway, it became apparent to the Church Advisory Council that additional renovations to the area would be needed if it was to be fully utilized for youth outreach. Several members took on additional renovation projects of their own which included repair to the adjacent restroom areas and the installation of storm windows, new entrance walks, and accent lightening. 25 older metal framed chairs and a complete living room suite are also currently being recovered by volunteers to be used in the youth room.
As the project neared completion in the early summer of 2007, members of the church became interested in expanding the planned outreach to include a community-wide youth program and a youth oriented worship service. After a period of prayer and seeking God’s direction, the church decided to develop a youth café where teens and young adults could gather and share, not only entertainment and refreshments, but God’s Word as well. This additional use of the renovated space as the home of the “Side Door Café” will permit the church to reach a larger number of young people then previously anticipated. One young couple from the church, John and Krista Godlewski, have decided to make this their own ministry. John will be entering Church Leadership Institute’s “Youth Track” in January of 2008 to train as a youth pastor. He will serve as FBC’s Youth Pastor Intern while he completes his schooling. Krista will be graduating from Edinboro University in December of 2007 with a degree in counseling. She hopes to be able to offer Christian counseling through the café outreach. John and Krista will assist Pastor Brian and Kathy Borger and Leah Luben in leading both the youth outreach and the new Café Worship planned for Sunday mornings.
In the past few months, local youth have begun spreading the word about the café throughout the community. During a summer outing for the church’s youth group in July, 5 new “friends” participated and each anticipated attending the café program this fall. In addition, the renovation work has itself been an attraction with many young teens stopping by to see how the work is progressing. Plans are now underway to advertise the café in the local paper, on several Christian radio stations, and on secular contemporary radio in order to reach the unchurched as well as those who may have become church dropouts. The congregation is also participating in “prayer walking” through the town in anticipation of the café opening. After each neighborhood is saturated in prayer, invitations to attend café worship services will be distributed either by a door-to-door outreach or a city wide mass mailing.
The entire process of beginning a new youth ministry has brought new life and excitement to the congregation. We are now in the process of planning a Three Point Youth Program which will build upon the Side Door Café ministry and include service-based youth programs and younger preschool/after school programs. It is hoped that these programs will allow the church to reach children and youth in our community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and form the base for future discipleship and Christian training.
The church would welcome any opportunity to share its success in this project with other churches. Additional information pertaining to the “Youth Room Project” can be obtained by contacting Pastor Brian Borger either by email at pastorbrian@titusvillefbc.org or phone 814-827-3532.
First Baptist Church of Titusville
Pastor Brian Borger
216 North Perry Street; Titusville, PA 16354
Telephone: 814-827-3532 Email: pastorbrian@titusvillefbc.org
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